


Why I Love Daycare

by thebenniebabyninja



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daycare, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Babies, Clexa babies, Detectives, Drug Dealing, Drugs, Endgame Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hospitals, Parents Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Pop Culture, Pregnant Clarke Griffin, slowish burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:13:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26390014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebenniebabyninja/pseuds/thebenniebabyninja
Summary: As a single mother, Clarke Griffin's main focus is raising her daughter Madi. Relationships are on the back burner.That is until a hot new mom drops off her son to the same day care. Too bad she's married...
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa
Comments: 66
Kudos: 360





	1. Chapter 1

Clarke has her window down, enjoying the way the late summer wind brushes through her hair. The radio plays a repeat of  _ baby shark _ . She's heard this song four times already, but it's the only thing that keeps Madi calm in the car.

"Mama, mama, mama" Madi babbles from the back car seat.

Clarke adjusts her mirror so she can get a better look, she smiles. Granted that it's only been a few weeks; Clarke will never get tired of hearing those words come from the Nine month old's mouth.

"What baby?" Clarke asks.

Madi's only response is to stick her fingers in her mouth and squeals in delight. Clarke's heart swells at the sound of a happy baby. 

Being a single mother is difficult, but Clarke wouldn't change a thing. She made it work, even without Finn's help.

\--

" _ Maybe you're pregnant." _

_ Clarke can't help the laugh that escapes her, she clutches at her belly and nearly rolls to the floor.  _

_ Pregnant, what a silly thought. _

_ Clarke controls her fit of laughter, wiping a stray tear away from her cheek. "You've got some jokes, O." She says. _

_ Octavia looks at Raven, who gives her a grim look. They both shake their head before Raven says, "You have all the signs, get your head out of your ass and think!" _

_ Raven raps her knuckles on top of Clarke's head. Clarke rolls her eyes, waving her friends off. _

_ "I'm the one in medical school, I think I'd know if I was pregnant." _

_ Clarke is usually able to get a rise from her friends, but not today. The two look at each other, then Raven pulls something from her back pocket. Clarke looks at her, eyebrow quirked. _

_ "Will you just take a damn test then? If it's negative we'll drop the whole subject." _

_ Clarke sighs and rips the test from her hand, "Fine, if it will shut you two up already." _

_ Clarke walks confidently towards the bathroom but with each step she feels less and less steady. She pauses outside the door, hand shaking on the knob before saying, "You guys are so extra." _

_ Clarke takes a seat on the toilet after pulling her shorts down. She inspects the test before removing the cap and relieving herself. She taps the test against the toilet bowl before setting it on the counter. She washes her hand and waits… _

_ Thoughts run through her mind a mile a minute. Every ache and every pain, she knows the signs. Two weeks late, tender breasts, fatigue, the list goes on. The more she thinks the more nauseated she becomes. _

_ The wait for the results is the longest ten minutes of her life. She sits on the closed toilet lid, knee bobbing up and down. The test will be negative, it has to be negative. Why is she so worked up about this? _

_ Finally her phone rings, deeming the appropriate time reached. Clarke takes a deep breath and reaches for the test. Her heart races when she reads the result. _

_ "This is a fake test!" She shouts from behind the closed door. _

_ \-- _

Clarke smiles, remembering the night she'd found out she was pregnant. Such a typical teenager move. The result completely threw her off guard, how could it have gone completely unnoticed.

She remembered the nausea, but she blamed it on food poisoning, the norovirus was more common during the winter, but that didn't mean it was impossible in the summer.

\--

_ It was in fact not a fake test. _

_ After the first result, Clarke demanded they go to the corner store and buy another test. Just to be safe she spent about $80 on at least six different brands. One can never be too careful.  _

_ Clarke relieves herself in a solo cup left over from the girls latest party. A thought pops up in the back of her mind, a guilty reminder. She drank at that party, A LOT. If she is pregnant, would it affect the fetus?  _

_ Clarke feels a flutter in her chest at the thought, the fetus, her fetus. Her child. She's going to have a child. She shakes the thoughts from her mind as she sets each test meticulously up on the counter, waiting the allotted time. _

_ The results made her lose her dinner. _

_ Raven holds Clarke's hair while Octavia rubs her back. When Clarke is finally able to stop heaving, she leans back against the door.  _

_ Pregnant. _

_ How could she be pregnant? _

_ She pulls her knees to her chest and tries to iron out the wrinkle in her forehead. Last semester's Human Growth and Development class pops in her mind, buzzing around like an incessant gnat.  _

_ The parties, the booze, the sex. All things that could and will harm her baby's development. Out of everything in her mind, only one thing comes from her mouth. _

_ "How will I tell my mom?" _

_ \--  _

Clarke was lucky, she thanked her stars everyday that Madi was not developmentally delayed. In all rights she should have been. All the stress she'd put under her body her first trimester, all the booze and dangerous situations.

The first trimester is one of the most important of the beginning of life. The organs begin to develop, anything could have caused problems.

\--

_ "Clarke?" Abby asks, pulling back the curtain. Clarke grimaces but let's her mother poke and prod her. "What's wrong? Why are you in the ER?" _

_ Clarke shrugs, uncertain of how to even begin.  _

_ 'Well mom, you see, when a boy likes a girl' or 'hey mom, I may have killed the baby I didn't know I was pregnant with' _

_ Clarke sighs, not daring to look her mother in the eyes, knowing she may very well start crying and never stop.  _

_ There's a knock on the door, Clarke has butterflies in her stomach, but it could just be the nausea. The doctor flips through her chart with a grim expression. The doctor's eyes flick to Abby fussing over her daughter. _

_ Clarke nods, answering the doctor's unasked question.  _

_ "Well Ms. Griffin, you are indeed pregnant. Congratulations."  _

_ Abby's mouth drops open, she gapes at Clarke before mumbling, "Pregnant?"  _

_ "Surprise?" Clarke says, shrugging her shoulders. _

_ Abby's eyes flick down to Clarke's stomach, a little bloated but otherwise still flat. _

_ "How far along is she?" Abby asks the doctor. _

_ "That we're still not sure, Ms. Griffin has stated she suffers from irregular periods, which is probably why she hasn't noticed." The doctor says. _

_ Abby nods, an awestruck look on her face. The doctor wheels in a monstrosity of a machine and asks Clarke to lay back and lift her shirt. She follows her instructions, paying no mind to her mom, who is processing the information worse than Clarke had. _

_ The doctor squirts some jelly on her belly, placing the wand down and moving it around until she finds the image. _

_ "There's your baby," the doctor says, freezing the frame to get the measurements. She jots down some notes and moves the wand around some more, "Ms. Griffin, it appears that you are about 10 weeks along. Your estimated due date will be around December 18th." _

_ \-- _

10 weeks, nearly her whole first trimester she hadn't known she was pregnant. She was in medical school, how did she miss the signs? 

\--

_ After not much of a debate, Clarke moves back home. Deciding not to fight her mom on this one. She was in her last semester so there wasn't much college life she would miss out on anyway. _

_ Her mom keeps her active, no matter how much she wanted to just laze around all day. _

_ "Clarke you need to get up and exercise, it's good for the baby-" Abby starts. _

_ "And it keeps away gestational diabetes, I know mom." Clarke replies. _

_ Abby gently pats Clarke's growing belly, "Good girl." She says. _

_ Finn drifts away as the months go by and Clarke's belly grows larger. He's there physically, but his mind is elsewhere. That's when Clarke finds out that Finn cheated on her. Clarke was devastated. _

_ It really was for the best. Like Abby had told her, Finn was never as attentive as he should have been. Finn slowly faded from her life and Clarke was glad. _

_ She decided that it wouldn't be worth the trouble to fight him for child support. He agreed to terminate his rights as a father. _

_ \-- _

Clarke can see little bits of Finn in Madi, the brown hair, her little nose, at least she has Clarke's eyes. Clarke makes a turn, only a block from daycare and another day away from Madi. 

\--

_ Clarke was watching a movie the day it all went down. She balanced a bowl of popcorn on her belly, legs stretched out in front of her. Octavia and Raven found purchase on the recliner nearby. _

_ Clarke sucked in a deep breath of air when her belly tightened up. The sound was so slight but it hadn't gone unnoticed by Raven. _

_ "You okay there Clarke?" Raven asks. _

_ Clarke nods, biting her lip, she rubs her belly but tries to focus on the movie. Octavia eyes Clarke then asks, "Should we get your mom?" _

_ Clarke shakes her head as another contraction hits, she sits up and places the popcorn on the table where it belongs. _

_ "They're not close enough together, I don't want to worry her yet." Clarke says, as sweat begins to bead against her forehead. _

_ Just as Clarke finishes her sentence, a rush of warm liquid spills from her. _

_ "Clarke, you either just peed yourself or your water broke." Raven says, alarm evident in her voice. _

_ "Okay," says Clarke, "now you can tell my mom." _

\-- 

After 10 hours of labor Baby Madi Griffin was born with not a dry eye in the room. Abby cut the cord, seeing as Clarke was a little occupied with the new baby in her arms. Clarke wouldn't change a thing. All the pain, swollen ankles, tender breasts, it was all worth it.

Even through the waterworks as Clarke tries to hand Madi off to one of the daycare workers.

"Baby, I'll be back, mama has to go to work." Clarke says.

Madi screeches when the worker picks her up. She leans towards her mom, reaching her arms out, begging to be taken back.

Clarke turns away from her daughter, brushing a tear away from her eye. It's never been easy dropping her off, maybe it's her own fault for coddling her. But she can't say no to that cute little face.

As she turns, she notices someone she's never met before and very attractive. Long brown hair, plush lips, perfect for kissing. Clarke's eyes widen, where did that come from?

Their eyes meet, Clarke nods and she nods back, straightening out her son's hoodie jacket. Clarke's eyes drift to her finger, a ring glinting brightly. Clarke deflates, of course she's taken.

\--

The car ride to work is silent.

Usually Clarke would have the radio blasting some old pop song from the early 2000's. She'd be screaming her heart out to some old Avril Lavigne song about her boyfriend.

But not today.

No. Today her mind wanders to that brunette from daycare. She can't get that face out of her mind. Who is she? Why is she so interested in a married woman? And since when is she even into women?

Clarke is so lost in thought that she barely processes the car in front of her stopping. Red brake lights pull her from her thoughts and she slams on her own breaks. The car comes to a screeching halt. She's hurdled forward, her seat belt catching the brunt of the force. 

"Come on Griffin. Get your head out of you ass." She says to herself, slamming a fist to her steering wheel.

A car behind her slams on his horn, it's then that Clarke notices the green light flicking to a yellow. She hurries through the intersection, heart still racing from her almost collision. She flicks her blinker on at the last second, turning into the staff parking lot of the hospital.

When she parks the car she has to give herself a moment before grabbing her coffee and hurrying through the doors of the ever busy, Arkadia Memorial Hospital.

She's greeted by her colleagues as she wanders through the halls but hurries to her station. She sets her bags down and signs herself in for her shift. She grabs her first patient's chart, desperate to get something else in her mind.

Ah there we go, bullet wound. Clarke hurries to room 341, to see her first patient. She knocks on the door, then enters.

The room is full and out of all the people she saw, the brunette was definitely not one face she was expecting.

There were three officers total in the room and one she assumed to be a detective. The patient was cuffed to the bed. Yep, definitely not what Clarke was expecting.

Clarke must have interrupted their questioning because all voices in the room quiet except the patient, who groans in pain from the bullet wound in his arm. The detective flicks her notepad shut and faces Clarke.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Griffin," she says, trying to break the tension in the room. 

The patient groans loudly, the brunette nods towards Clarke, who's stomach fills with butterflies for some god awful reason. She then gestures towards the door. The officers leave the room and as the brunette passes, she brushes against Clarke's shoulder.

Clarke has to pull herself together before attending to the patient.

\--

"Look who the cat dragged in."

"Shut it Wells," Clarke says, plopping down her tray next to her best friend.

"It's not my fault you look like hell. Did you sleep at all last night?"

Clarke sighs, pulling apart the roll sitting on her plate. Madi had a bad habit of waking up in the middle of the night. Is it that obvious? 

Clarke's head dips and she stuffs the roll in her mouth.

"Why don't you take a nap in one of the on call rooms?"

"I'm only here for another hour, I'll survive. Besides if my mom catches me you know she'll have my head." 

Abby Griffin is the Chief of Surgery and just because Clarke is her daughter, doesn't mean that she will get any special treatment. Abby has no trouble keeping family out of business. In fact, Clarke gets the worst patients because of it. Abby insists that it will make Clarke a better doctor but she doesn't buy it.

Clarke picks at her food and Wells' eyes soften, "Clarke, what's wrong?" He asks, he has always been able to see right through her.

Clarke grunts, shoving a green bean into her mouth and looking away, chewing thoughtfully.

"Nothing," Clarke says.

Wells quirks a brow and crosses his arms over his chest. Clarke sneaks a peak and sighs, knowing that she has never been able to lie to him.

"So there's this woman..." Clarke says drifting off.

She glances over, gauging his reaction. His face urges her to continue. 

"But she's married." Clarke says, "I'm terrible. Am I terrible?" 

"Nope," Wells stands and grabs his tray, "I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole Clarke."

\--

Clarke is exhausted by the end of her shift. When she makes it back to the daycare and Madi is more than elated to see her mom again.

Madi clings tightly to Clarke's chest, Clarke's eyes drift around the room. She sets her sights on the young boy and his mother again. Clarke has the urge to speak with her. She doesn't know why. Escpecially If that ring on her finger has anything to say about it.

She can't help herself. Clarke strolls up to the brunette. 

"I haven't seen you around, I'm Clarke" she says, holding out her hand to shake.

The other woman quirks a brow but grabs Clarke's hand anyway, the metal of her ring digging into the palm of Clarke's hand, causing her to question why exactly she's talking to a married woman in the first place.

"I'm Lexa. Aden and I just moved here about a month ago. Who's this cutie?"

Clarke grins, hiking Madi up higher on her hip.

"Say Hi Madi," Clarke says, grabbing Madi's arm and waving. Lexa waves back and Clarke drops Madi's hand.

"So you're a cop?" Clarke blurts out, mentally slapping herself for being so rude.

Lexa chuckles, explaining, "Not quite. I'm a detective."

Clarke's face burns but Lexa doesn't comment. Her eyes flicker across Clarke's face for a moment before saying, "So you're a doctor?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally got around to finishing this chapter, I wanted to thank my amazing beta reader for their help! Thank you oreo1791!

Some higher power must be having fun making Clarke feel miserable. Lexa is everywhere. In the park, at her favorite coffee shop, and even at the damn hospital. How many cases really require her to be at the hospital?

Clarke tried her best to ignore it, until one Saturday morning when Lexa came jogging up to her wearing nothing more than a sports bra and black short shorts. 

Lexa was coated in a thin sheen of sweat, Clarke couldn't hold back the hungry gaze that raked over Lexa's body. She might have been embarrassed for her reaction if she wasn't so busy ogling Lexa's six pack.

"Good morning Clarke," Lexa says.

Clarke's face flushes a soft pink that could be blamed on the summer heat if no one knew any better.

"Morning Lexa, husband watching Aden?" She asks. Lexa snorts out a sad laugh that has Clarke's curiosity peaked.

"I don't have a husband," Lexa says.

Clarke nervously laughs, scratching the back of her head. "Oh I'm sorry, I just saw the ring and assumed..." she trails off, heart skipping a beat. Maybe she has a chance after all.

Lexa looks away, biting her lip, "My wife's name is Costia," she says.

Clarke's expression falters, but only for a second, "Ah I'd like to meet her some time," Clarke says.

An emotion that she can't explain flashes across Lexa's face. Why did she say that? It's not like they're anything more than acquaintances.

"Maybe; I have to go Clarke, I'll see you monday."

"Monday?"

"Oh I'm sorry, will you not be at the daycare on Monday?"

Clarke's face flushes again, how stupid, of course she's talking about the daycare, what else would she be talking about?

"No I'll be there, see you then." Clarke says waving as Lexa passes.

That could have gone better…

\--

Clarke did see Lexa again. But this time it was at the grocery store, and it definitely wasn't Monday. In fact, the Gods must enjoy messing with her because it was only a few hours later. 

How could someone so unavailable be so... everywhere?

She first notices her in the produce section… Clarke took up home in the chips aisle, totally not stalking the pretty brunette. Lexa picks up a bunch of bananas, inspecting each one for bruises. 

Clarke mirrors her with a bag of chips.

Salt n vinegar or barbecue? Clarke looks back at Lexa who has already moved on to picking the perfect apples...Both bags it is. 

Clarke throws both bags into her cart and heads towards the drink aisle. Madi was still breastfeeding so no booze, not yet at least. Clarke ogles the Whiteclaw harder than she had that morning at Lexa's abs.

She sighs and grabs herself a case of Dr. Pepper, hauling it into her cart. Shopping is near completion, just a stop to the frozen foods and she can call it a day. She tosses some toaster strudels and chocolate chip eggos into her cart and hurries to the register, nearly running right into Lexa.

"Oh! Clarke, hi..." Lexa says.

Clarke eyes the fresh fruits and veggies in Lexa's cart, Aden is tucked tucked just behind her. Clarke looks at her own cart, packed full of junk food and soda. How embarrassing.

Clarke leans against the cart to block the view as best she can with Madi strapped in her carrier. 

"Hey," Is all Clarke can manage. Smooth. 

The cart begins to slide forward and Clarke loses her footing. She stumbles and reaches for the cart to stabilize herself, unfortunately it was just out of reach. She resigns herself to the embarrassing fate of falling to the floor in a crowded grocery store. It's then that Lexa grabs her by the back of her shirt, halting her slow descent to the ground.

"Uh, thank you…" Clarke says, face flushing a soft pink.

Lexa gives her a smile and pushes her own cart the opposite direction. 

Smooth Griffin.

\--

Clarke meets Octavia in the park later that afternoon for some aerobics class she wanted to try out. Clarke would never understand how Octavia was able to convince her into actual exercise.

"Quit staring," Octavia says, as she jogs in place.

"I'm not staring," Clarke snaps, forcing her eyes away from the brunette she'd definitely been staring at.

"Right, keep telling yourself that," Octavia says, trying to duplicate the teacher's movements.

Clarke's eyes drift only a few times during the workout. She swears...

"Just go talk to her already," Octavia says with a knowing smirk.

"I can't, she'll think I'm stalking her," Clarke says as she explains the strange series of events throughout the day.

Octavia is a good listener, even through the aerobics…

"Seems like the stars are aligning for you Clarke, just go talk to her," Octavia repeats.

Clarke has long since stopped following the aerobics class. There's no need to waste energy when Clarke has already lost most of the baby fat. She gives Lexa another look before whispering, "She's married."

This finally pulls Octavia's attention away from the class. She halts her movements and places a hand to her hip. "You're trying to tell me that  _ she _ is married? I don't believe that for a second, she's a Heartbreaker Clarke. Look at that face."

Clarke shakes her head sadly, "I talked to her this morning, she has a wife."

Octavia turns, giving Lexa a long hard stare before she looks up from her book and spots the pair. Lexa gives a small wave when she notices Clarke.

"She's totally into you," Octavia says.

"She's totally married," Clarke replies.

"Have you seen, said wife?" Octavia asks, lips pursed.

"Well no-" Clarke starts.

"My point exactly, go talk to her," Octavia says, returning to her class.

\--

As much as Clarke wanted to talk to Lexa, she didn't. Lexa was married and Clarke needed to set boundaries. She was no home wrecker no matter how much the universe wanted her to be.

That Monday Clarke wakes up with renewed energy, she decides to focus on what's important. Madi. She checks her phone, browsing Facebook before noticing a text message from a number she wishes to never see again.

‘hey’ it says.

She checks the time stamp, noticing that it had been sent a little before midnight. She rereads the short text then promptly hits delete.

And just like that, they're out of her hair.

Clarke shuffles out of bed to brew a pot of coffee. She stretches, joints popping with each small movement. Satisfied she heads to the kitchen to flip the switch on the coffee pot that she set up the night before.

She checks the time, nearly an hour before Madi usually wakes, that should give her enough time to shower. She flicks through the closet, picking out her favorite set of scrubs. Well favorite for now. She eyes the spooky section of her closet with excitement, Fall would be upon them soon enough.

Satisfied with her choice in clothing, she heads to the bathroom depositing her scrubs on the closed toilet lid. She turns the shower on, the old pipes spring to life. She undresses then enters the freezing shower. She shudders, quickly turning the knob to hot. 

When the temperature finally levels out she relaxes, allowing her morning aches to dissolve under the beat of the water. Showers were her safe haven, a place to think as well as a place to get clean. She lathers her hair with lavender scented soap as her mind drifts to that stupid text. 

She sighs, not even able to avoid him in her safe haven.

Halfway through her shower Madi makes her presence known through the baby monitor. Clarke audibly groans, not ready to leave the warm spray. Nonetheless, she rinses herself and turns off the shower. She wraps a towel around her body, not bothering to dry anything more than her hair, she hurries to Madi’s bedroom.

“Oh baby, it’s okay,” Clarke says, picking up the crying infant.

Clarke rocks Madi gently, until the crying ceases. She feeds Madi and eventually herself after getting dressed. She nearly forgets to fill her travel mug with coffee and heads to the daycare. 

The mysterious text fades from her mind.

\--

Clarke can't help but feel a little disappointed to see Aden but no Lexa. Clarke passes Madi off to one of the workers who exchanges the child for a piece of paper, titled ‘Family Day at the Zoo'

As interesting as it sounds, Clarke doesn't have time to read it so she shoves the paper in her bag reminding herself to read it later. She gives Madi a kiss on the cheek then heads to work.

When she gets in the car she hooks her phone into the AUX -deciding it's a emo kind of day- and puts on some SimplePlan. She's just starting to get into the groove of her favorite song when her phone buzzes. She ignores it and turns the music up louder.

Her phone starts to buzz every few minutes, interrupting the flow of her music. When she gets stuck at a stop light she fumbles back a quick reply, hoping to get the sender off her back. But to her dismay, the person sends back a barrage of texts. 

Clarke resigns her fate to listening to whatever was on the radio seeing as the sender won't leave her alone. The DJ is playing another Bon Jovi repeat that has her wanting to claw her eyes out, good thing the hospital entrance is in sight.

She pulls into the hospital parking lot, she checks the multitude of texts and abruptly decides to turn off her phone. Nope. Not today. She hooks her pager to her scrub pants and exits the vehicle. Today she would only focus on work. No Lexa and definitely no mysterious texter.

\--

Lexa flicks through her phone, checking her calendar for any meetings she might have. She leans against the counter for a moment before the clerk hands over the files Lexa asked for, she juggles the files under her arm, phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in other hand.

"Thank you Echo," She says, nearly losing her grip on the folder.

Echo waves her off and Lexa heads back to her desk. She takes a seat, placing the coffee aside. She flips through the folder, reading up on one of her informants, "Sent to county for possession of drugs with intent to sell. How'd I know he'd do it again," Lexa mumbles, finally taking a sip of her coffee. 

She flicks through the files with a heavy sigh, she'd never been too good at finding informants. Lexa was meant to find killers, not drug lords. She will never understand why she agreed to take on this side case. 

Her eyes roam the office, pausing a moment over their wedding photo, her gaze softens. She loved her wife, she did. She shakes the thoughts from her head and closes the folder. She spots just the man she needs.

"Hey Murphy, I have a pick up, you coming with me?" Lexa shouts, knowing that pick ups are his favorite part of the job. 

Murphy was a scrappy officer, always itching for a fight. The police department should count their lucky stars he's on their side. The department didn't have nearly enough funds to keep Murphy off the streets.

"Hell yes," he says, sauntering over to Lexa's station, "What've we got?"

Lexa passes the file his way, he flips through the pages with a smirk. "Told yah he'd suck as an informant," he says then hands the file back over. Lexa rolls her eyes and tucks it away on her desk, ready for booking when they come back.

"Fine, you called it. Are you coming or not?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Woods."

Lexa straps on her bulletproof vest and leads the officer to her unmarked SUV. Murphy slams the door when he gets in which causes Lexa to visibly wince. She soothes the dashboard of her vehicle, as a silent apology for Murphy's abuse.

"Where we headed?" Murphy asks, not bothering with his buckle. Lexa raises a brow, refusing to answer until he buckles up. He rolls his eyes but buckles anyway.

"Thank you," Lexa says, "East 7th, he's holled up in a rumored crack house."

"Sounds like fun," Murphy drawls, pulling out his phone to play whatever game he has installed.

Lexa turns her focus to the road as she heads to the shady part of Cleveland. As she drives, her focus drifts, she wonders if this pick up will land any offenders in Clarke's ER. Murphy has been known to be a little rough and as bad as it sounds she really wouldn't be offended to spend some time with the blonde.

The trip is a fairly decent distance away, they get there in no less than twenty minutes. Lexa parks outside the dilapidated building, her gut bubbles in nervous anticipation. She always loved the thrill of catching the bad guys but the thought of leaving behind Aden hurt.

"This it?" Murphy asks as his phone chimes, signifying another win in Candy Crush.

Lexa pulls out her notepad and nods, "Seems to be," she says.

They both exit the vehicle, then ready their weapons. The cold metal of the gun clicks, it's heavy in her hand. She holds the gun out in front of her and signals for Murphy to follow close behind.

The pair shuffle around the building, scoping the place out to be sure they wouldn't be attacked. Once satisfied, Lexa knocks firmly on the door announcing, "Open, Police, we have a warrant!"

Only moments before the building buzzed with life, now it stands stiff and silent. Lexa sighs, she really hates it when these guys think they can just stop making noise and they'll go away. She knocks one more time before kicking the door in. She counts silently.

"Three, Two, One"

The room bursts with excitement, people running in all directions in an attempt to escape. Murphy goes after them but Lexa has to remind him that they're here for a specific target. Lexa gestures her head toward the stairs, then places a finger to her lips.

The two creep upstairs, cursing silently when the staircase creaks with each step. After what felt like hours, but was really only seconds, they reach the top, they search each room to no avail. They're left with only one, when they find him.

To Murphy's disappointment Jameson put up little fight. He must have heard them coming because he just stands in the doorway, hands in the air waiting patiently to be taken into custody.

Lexa pulls his arms behind his back and cuffs him, chiding like a child, "I let you go free, this is how you repay me?"

"Hey man, we've all got bills to pay. I have kids, I do this so they don't have to.." Jameson says.

Lexa can understand that, she'd do anything for Aden. 

"There are more legal approaches to taking care of your kids," Lexa says, expression softening.

"No one wants to hire a convict…" he says.

The booking goes quietly, Murphy sweeps the house and Lexa stays back with their bookie. After some time, Murphy emerges looking confused. He hands off the baggie to Lexa who inspects it, looks like… meth?

She holds it in the light to get a better look, there's a slightly blue tint to it. She looks back at an excited Murphy who says, "It's like the show."

Lexa looks back at Jameson wondering just what she got herself into...


	3. Here we go again...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to my beta, oreo1791!!!

Arkadia Memorial Hospital was one of the busiest in the state. So busy that Clarke has all but forgotten about her phone until she finally has a moment to breathe. She turns on her cell, completely forgetting about her mystery texter. Her phone starts up, welcoming her back, only to freeze. 

She scowls, she really needs to get a new phone... 

Then the notifications start coming through, one after another. She stares at the screen, flashing like a strobe light. Her coworkers send her dirty looks as the phone pings with each new notification. 

It's times like these she wonders why she doesn't just keep the damn thing on silent. 

Wells looks up from his chart, both eyebrows raised. Clarke just sighs and shakes her head, pocketing her phone, waiting for the notifications to finish coming through. She doesn’t bother to adjust the volume, her phone is too old to handle that kind of stress. 

"Who's that?" Wells asks, as the notifications start coming in slower.

Just the question she was hoping to avoid, there really was no need to pull her friends into her drama.

"You really don't wanna know," Clarke replies, scribbling some notes on a patient's chart.

Clarke finally glances up at her childhood friend, who has that familiar crease in his brow whenever somethings bothering her. She sighs and picks up her phone after a few minutes of silence then tilts the screen toward him, showing off the 100 plus notifications.

"Oof"

Clarke shakes her head, “Right?”, she says as she puts in the pattern to unlock her phone. She scrolls through the texts as best she can, Ain't nobody have time for that.

"He wants to meet me at that restaurant down the road," Clarke mumbles, still scrolling through her texts.

"Why don't you?" Wells asks.

Clarke laughs, still scrolling…

Wells bites his lip and shrugs, Clarke looks up over her phone.

“You’re serious?” She says more than asks.

He nods slowly, she places her phone facedown on the counter, then crosses her arms across her chest. 

“No way,” She says.

Wells gives her a stern look, gaze unwavering. Clarke knows this is a battle she won’t win. No matter how much she hates the mystery texter, she has a duty to her daughter. Clarke flops against the table, resting her forehead against the cool laminate. She grumbles something incoherent.

He knows he’s won, he closes the file he was working on, tucking it under his arm, “tell me how it goes,” He says walking off in the opposite direction.

Clarke’s eyes flick back to her phone. She lets loose a frustrated groan, she checks her watch then types out a quick reply. 

_ Be there in 10 minutes. _

\--

This is the last time Clarke will  _ ever _ listen to Wells. Why she decided to meet up with him, she'll never understand. Now she's wasting her lunch break, waiting for the loser who screwed her over.

She glances around the busy restaurant, growing irritated at the number of unfamiliar faces. She checks her watch again, then curses under her breath, slamming her menu in an upright position. 

“Clarke!” He says cheerfully. 

He slithers into the booth across from her like the snake he is. She clenches her jaw and her fist tightens around the menu. If he thinks he can just schmooze his way back into her life, he has another thing coming.

Clarke sets down her menu a bit too forcefully, he flinches and she growls with a scowl, “You’re late Finn.”

He looks like a deer caught in the headlights, eyes wide, mouth agape. He recollects himself then sighs, running a hand through his long locks, “Some things never change…” He trails off. 

Clarke can’t help the clipped comment, “Yep,” she says as she pops the ‘P’ at the end of her sentence,“they sure don't." She knows that he's referring to her punctuality, but she means him. He will never change.

"What do you want?" She asks, feeling an eye tick coming on.

Finn toys with his jean jacket, not daring to look Clarke in the eye. “Always getting down to business, can’t we just talk? It’s been almost a year…” he says.

“What? Since you cheated on me? I know. Now what do you want Finn?” Clarke says just as the waitress arrives at the table.

The girl clears her throat, trying to gain the attention of both parties. If Clarke wasn’t mad before she certainly is now. It’s not like she wanted their business broadcasted to some stranger.

“Can I get you started on some appetizers?” The poor girl asks.

“I think we need a little more time,” Finn says, giving the girl his usual flirtatious smile, he tries to place a hand over Clarke's own, but she rips it away before his vile touch can desecrate her skin.

The waitress nods, skittering off enthusiastically, more than happy to leave the arguing pair alone. Clarke narrows her eyes and grunts, picking the menu back up and placing it in a way so that she does not have to look at his stupid face.

Finn pulls her menu down with his pointer finger, “I’ve changed Clarke,” he says. 

She lets her menu fall to the table, her brow furrowed and back straight. She searches his eyes, gaze unwavering. She sighs, she can see it, the things he says are true, he has changed, but she’s not ready to forgive him. Not yet.

“Can I meet Madi?” He asks with a whisper.

A fist tightens around her heart, she takes a gulp of air. It’s not like she wants to keep her daughter away from her father. It’s just that she never expected to have to see him again, not after he signed his rights away.

She pauses, it really wouldn't be fair to Madi if she said no. 

She thinks of her own father, how supportive he was. She can't imagine a life without him.

“Fine,” Clarke says, “You can come with me to pick her up after work.”

His eyes practically sparkle as she writes down the address on a napkin. The waitress makes her way back to take their order but Clarke's pager goes off. Her stomach grumbles angrily and she groans, rising from the table.

"Gotta go," she says and hurries back to the hospital, frustrated that her whole break was wasted on a guy who fucked her over.

\--

Lexa sits at her desk, arm propped up, baggie in one hand, a twirling pen in the other. She studies the blue contents, wondering just what she got herself into. If this is anything like Breaking Bad… 

Her pen falls from her hand and she sighs, dropping the baggie on her desk. She stoops to reach her pen, only to have it kicked away by a pair of boots. She grumbles and looks up into the stealy face of DEA agent Titus Blaze.

"I need you to file a report, explaining everything you saw in that house," he says, arms behind his back.

"I already filed one," she says, finally retrieving her pen.

"I need a second report, we're opening a case with your informant." He says. 

She rubs her head and takes in a deep breath, filing reports are so time consuming, she really doesn't have time for this nonsense.

"Just copy the other report," she says.

"Protocol requires a new set of reports, I will not ask again," he says in a condescending way. He looks down at her from the bridge of his nose.

"Fine," she says, pulling the papers from her desk, she really just wants his air of superiority away from her. She doesn't take orders from him, they're in completely different departments, but this was a fight she didn't care to have.

"Good," he says, turning on his heel to head in the opposite direction, "Oh and Lexa?" Her head peeks up, eyebrow quirked, he stares straight ahead, "Return that to evidence." Refering to the blue baggie on her desk.

She rolls her eyes as he walks away, all she wants at this point is to spend time with her son.

So she did just that.

\--

Aden was already gone when Clarke came to pick Madi up, much to her disappointment. She was really looking forward to seeing her muse. She pushed those thoughts from her mind when her eyes met Finn's. He came, true to his word.

Clarke was stunned.

She hikes Madi up on her hip, weaving her way around the room, dodging other children and their toys. Madi sucks on her fist, oblivious to his affectionate gaze. His eyes soften the closer they come. He reaches towards her, ready to hold his baby girl for the first time.

Clarke passes her off, Madi looks confused, how dare her mom let her go. She eyes the strange man, then looks back at her mom and wails. Finn's smile drops from his face and he rocks her gently, trying to soothe the crying infant.

Madi continues to wail, snot and tears running down her little face. It breaks Clarke's heart, seeing her baby like this. All eyes are on the pair, unable to soothe the child. The tips of Clarke's ears turn red and she pulls Madi from his arms. She stops crying almost instantly then leans against Clarke's chest, sniffling, staring at the strange fluffy haired man.

How embarrassing.

Clarke apologizes then leads Finn to her car.

"She doesn't like me," he says, hurt clearly written on his face.

"She doesn't know you," Clarke says, strapping a sleepy Madi into her carseat. That tantrum really did a number on her. Clarke turns back to Finn, giving him a small smile, "she'll get used to you," she says.

"What if she doesn't," he asks, looking longingly into the backseat of Clarke's car.

Clarke places a hand to his shoulder, squeezing firm. "She's still young, there's still time."

Finn nods, eyes downcast, "I miss you," he says.

Clarke's brows scrunch together, she gives him a sad smile, "There's times that I miss you too."

His head perks up at that, a twinkle in his eye, "Do you think you could give me another chance?"

Clarke's eyes search his face but gives him a small shake of the head, "I'm sorry Finn.." she trails off.

He nods, accepting the reality of the situation, "I'd like to be in Madi's life, if that's alright with you?"

Clarke nods, then Finn fumbles with something in his pocket. 

"Here," he says, holding out a wad of cash.

Clarke's mouth drops open, last she heard Finn was jobless.

"Where did you-" she starts but Finn cuts her off.

"It's for Madi, please take it Clarke, it's the least I can do."

Their eyes meet and he quickly turns away, "text me sometime?" He says, walking in the opposite direction.

Clarke nods, not even registering that he couldn't see her response. She flips through the bills, counting twice to make sure she was right.

$1500.00

Where the hell did Finn get this much money?

\--

Lexa watches Clarke, her jaw tightens when Clarke places a hand to the man's shoulder. The grip on her steering wheel tightens, What is this feeling?

"Mommy?"

Lexa glances in her rear view mirror, looking at Aden's frowning face. 

"What baby?" She asks, eyes flicking back toward Clarke and the man, a pit forming in her stomach. She watches the exchange of cash, realizing he must be the father, paying child support or something similar to that...

"Can we go home?" Aden asks.

Clarke looks surprised, but this really isn't any of Lexa's business. She turns the key in the ignition, the engine rolls over and she nods, eyes finally leaving the blonde.

"Yes baby, Let’s go home." she says, heading back to their broken home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clexa is endgame! Finn is necessary i promise, please dont be too mad! Please comment and tell me what you think, it helps encourage me to write!


	4. Author's note Will Delete Upon Next Update

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you guys know that I have not given up on the story, I have just been very busy between work, college, and covid. I have about 8 chapters written, I just haven't had the time to edit them. I will get to them as soon as I can, I promise! Since this is probably not an update you want to hear, here is some fan art I drew!


	5. The Zoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back! Sorry for taking such a long hiatus!! I hope you like this next chapter, it is one of my favorites! Thank you to my lovely beta oreo1791 for their help! I also decided not to delete the last chapter because I worked hard on that art LMFAO! I think I'm going to draw some art to go along with this story, I'm going to post it on my Tumblr and possibly Instagram if you wanna follow me there. My username is the same everywhere: thebenniebabyninja

Clarke was lonely, that much was certain. Even surrounded by her friends she felt the pull of loneliness dragging her down. She couldn't help but to blame Finn, if he had just stayed missing she wouldn’t be feeling this way. His presence is nothing but a reminder of something she once had, that she could never get back.

Finn may not have been the most attentive boyfriend, he did however, provide decent company. She would never take him back, not after what he'd done. She just needs someone to fill that cold void he left. Unfortunately that someone was already married.

During her down time at the hospital, she often found herself thinking of the woman with the curly brown hair and bright green eyes. It didn't help that Lexa was there nearly everyday. It was just business, that's what she told herself, even after the small wave she gave as Lexa passed with a wink. 

Clarke glances over at Wells, who has a brow raised, she clears her throat, shuffles her papers together and hurries off. Lexa's working, talking to a bald man Clarke doesn't recognize, she really shouldn't bother her when she's working.

But Clarke's working too…Oh what the hell…

Clarke makes a beeline for Lexa, stopping just behind the man. Lexa nods, acknowledging her, she interrupts the man, "if you'll excuse me Titus, I have another matter to attend to…"

The man turns, giving Clarke a sideways glance, he puffs out his chest, like a peacock showing off his feathers. 

"Very well detective, I'll see you at the station," he says, storming off.

The two watch as he leaves, once he's an ideal distance away, Lexa sighs, turning toward Clarke with a soft smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Clarke starts.

Lexa shakes her head, placing a hand to Clarke's shoulder. The weight of her hand is heavy, as warmth spreads through her body. Clarke's face burns and she can't help but to curse herself, acting like a teenager with a crush.

"Thank you," Lexa says, squeezing Clarke's shoulder.

Clarke buzzes at the touch, she has to remind herself that Lexa's married, this is nothing but a friendly touch. Clarke shakes the thoughts from her head, she nods and clears her throat.

"So, I was wondering-"

"Do you want to grab a coffee?" Lexa blurts out.

Clarke blinks, eyes wide with surprise.

Lexa rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, "I sorry," she says, "You look like you could use a break and I really need some caffeine right now."

Clarke smiles and gives her a nod, "I would love to…"

\--

Clarke tried to stop herself frim making that stupid joke, she really did… but she couldn't help herself...

"So what is it about cops, coffee, and donuts," Clarke says with a smirk.

Lexa rolls her eyes playfully and as she places Clarke's coffee down in front of her, she says "First of all, this is a bagel."

Clarke's eyes glow, happy that Lexa had taken the bait.

"Any interesting cases?" Clarke asks, taking a sip of her far too hot coffee.

Lexa sighs, deflating. 

"Too many. The DEA has been on my ass lately, begging for some help finding their new 'Heisenberg'."

"Like the TV show?", Clarke asks.

Lexa nods, grumbling under her cup, "They're even dying it blue, not very creative if you ask me. What about you? Any Dr. Grey drama?"

"I've been stuck in trauma lately. It's not as bad as they make it seem on TV, we get bad cases but not  _ all  _ of them are bad." Clarke says. 

Lexa nods, as she plays with the lid of her cup. "Do you like being a doctor?"

Clarke has to think about that. No one has ever asked her that question before. She's always been expected to be a doctor because her mom is the chief of medicine. Of course she loves her job… right?

"It's rewarding, and the pay is good. The only thing I hate is leaving Madi at the daycare."

The corner of Lexa's mouth quirks up and she says, "I was the same way when Aden was a baby. The separation is difficult."

Clarke's beeper goes off and she sighs, checking it. 

"Well this has been a rather unconventional date. Nothing like talking about meth and trauma." Clarke says with a chuckle. She takes a swig of her now cool coffee and notices Lexa's darkened gaze.

"Hey," she says, touching Lexa's shoulder.

Lexa jerks away and stands, nearly knocking her chair over, "I should go." She says.

"Lexa I was joking," Clarke tries but Lexa nearly bolts out the door.

Lexa was in such a hurry she left behind her untouched bagel, Clarke got that sinking feeling in her gut. She shouldn't have said that; stupid Griffin, stupid.

\--

It'd been a week since the disastrous coffee date, a week since they last spoke. Clarke was so distraught by their crumbling acquaintances that she nearly forgot about the Daycare Zoo trip, she was lucky to have the day off… especially on a Saturday. 

Clarke unfolds the stroller, today would be a nice relaxing day with her daughter, no green eyes to distract her. She pulls Madi from her carseat, places her in the stroller and locks her sedan. A car door slams shut next to her, she freezes at the voice.

"Aden! Be gentle! Uncle Murphy is starting to become a bad influence…" she grumbles the last part.

Clarke locks her car again, this time the horn sounds. Their eyes meet and Lexa quickly looks away. Clarke turns on her heel, heading towards the gate. Today was going to be a good day…

Clarke shows her ticket off to the gatekeeper, hurrying through, wanting to be as far away from Lexa as possible. She cringes at the memory of Lexa's face, twisted with fear. She should have never made that stupid joke.

Clarke is surprised that Lexa even came to the zoo… but that is a little presumptuous to think Clarke has that much dictation over Lexa's life to keep her from enjoying time with her son. Clarke picks up the pace, towards the pavilion the daycare had rented. 

The director goes off the itinerary for the day, Clarke glances around at the faces around her, stopping at her favorite face of all. Lexa's brows are pointed upwards, her bottom lip between her teeth. She looks troubled as they make eye contact.

Clarke looks away, glancing down at the paper in her hand, an easy distraction. This was more for the kids, but Clarke has always been a competitive person...

Clarke kneels down in front of Madi and shows her the paper, explaining, "Alright child, we have important business today. We have to find all these different animals and win you a prize!"

Madi squeals with her mom's excitement. Clarke brushes down a flyaway hair and pops the binkie back in her baby's mouth. The director finishes her speech and off they go.

**\--**

The lions are the first stop, but they're sleeping like the giant cats they are. The kids crowd around the glass excitedly hoping to catch some sort of action, a flick of the ear or the swish of the tail,  _ something _ . 

The daycare teachers prattle on about how they can live to be 14 or how they can reach a speed of 50 mph. All Clarke can focus on is Lexa, the way her eyes soften at Aden when he hops up and down to get a better look. Or the way she tucks a strand of hair from his face. 

Lexa's a great mom and Clarke can't help being jealous of her wife.

Clarke is so caught up with her thoughts she doesn't even notice the group leaving her behind. She hurries to catch up, looking silly speed walking with the stroller. When she catches up she decides to check off her first animal on the scavenger hunt, lions are fast right?

The group heads to Australia, which is one of Clarke’s favorite areas. They seem to have the most active animals here, besides the koalas who just sleep all day. As expected, the kangaroos are hopping around, one even takes to boxing another kangaroo's face. The kids laugh and cheer.

Clarke pushes Madi up to one of the zoo keepers, who is kind enough to kneel down and present a pelt for the infant to pet. It just so happened that Aden and Lexa were there, petting the very same pelt.

"Hey," Clarke says to Lexa.

"Hey," Lexa replies.

They both stand awkwardly next to each other whilst Aden plays along with Madi. Aden has a stuffed giraffe and bobs it in front of her as if it were walking on her stroller. Madi laughs and reaches for the toy. Aden hands it off and Madi hugs the toy in a death grip.

Clarke's eyes soften and she kneels to give the toy back to Aden, knowing her daughter's attachment to stuffed toys. She wails when Clarke finally wrenches the toy free from her grasp. She hands it back to Aden who inspects it.

He considers Madi for a moment before handing the toy back to Clarke.

"She can have it," he says.

"Oh no, Aden this is your toy. She has her own at home," Clarke says, trying to hand back the toy.

"It's ok, she likes it," Aden says again.

Clarke looks to Lexa for some help but she just shrugs. 

"Thank you Aden, that's very sweet of you," Clarke says, handing the toy back to Madi who immediately snuggles up to the toy.

"Mommy, let's go, they're leaving!" Aden says, pulling Lexa toward the group. 

\--

"Everyone ready for the train?" One of the teachers announces.

A bout of cheers raise through the air as they board the small train. Clarke folds her stroller up and takes the seat next to Lexa. Once everyone is settled the train begins its descent. 

Lexa points out the animals as they pass by Aden, who clings excitedly to the rail. Madi on the other hand is more interested in Clarke's face. Clarke helps her stand and Madi thanks her by shoving her tiny fingers all in Clarke's mouth.

Clarke pretends to chew on her fingers which has Madi squealing yet again. Clarke would apologize but she really isn't sorry for having such a happy baby. If Clarke wasn’t so preoccupied with Madi, she might have noticed the longing look Lexa was giving her.

One of the parents ahead of them turned in her seat to get a good look at the two.

"You two are so cute," she says.

This statement startles both of the girls, who look at each other with wide eyes. 

"Oh we're not-" Clarke starts.

The other woman looks clearly confused.

"Oh I just assumed, I'm sorry. You two seem very close and I saw the ring." She says, her face turning a rosy pink. 

Lexa and Clarke look away from each other, the same pink rising to their cheeks. The moment is saved by Aden though as he shouts, "Mommy look!"

"I see Aden! Wow they're so big," Lexa says, attention directed the opposite of whatever Clarke was looking at.

"Hi Camels!" Aden yells excitedly.

Clarke turns her attention fully to Madi who is starting to get a little fussy. She'll need the boob soon… 

\--

After the train ride, the teachers decided that it would be the best time as any to take a lunch break. Clarke is grateful, she really didn't want to go find a bathroom to sit in while she fed Madi. It just wasn't fair to have her eat on a toilet. And as much as a free the nipple person Clarke was, she really didn't like exposing herself in public so she placed a thin blanket over Madi while she nursed.

Clarke finds a comfortable bench and watches the other children. Some stayed to eat with their parents. Others wolf down their lunch so they could hurry to play on the playground. As she looked around she noticed that Aden was the latter as he was already hurrying up the monkey bars.

Lexa takes a seat next to Clarke. The two are silent a moment before Clarke says, "So that was awkward." 

Lexa nods thoughtfully as she watches her son.

"The wife working today?" Clarke asks to break the silence.

Lexa sighs, eyes shining a bit in the sunlight and she turns to look at Clarke.

"Clarke, I…" Lexa says.

"I'm sorry about the other day," Clarke says, "at the coffee shop? I know you're married, I shouldn't have joked we were on a date."

Lexa nods and gives Clarke a sad smile "I'm not married Clarke," she says.

Clarke's world stops spinning for a moment.

"What?" She finally says as the sounds around her become a little clearer.

"I mean… I am married but…" Lexa sighs again, she hangs her head in her hands, "Costia died giving birth to Aden."

Clarke's mouth bobs open and closed, unsure of what to make of this new information. 

"I'm so sorry," Clarke finally forces out.

"Don't be, it has been five years." Lexa says shaking her head slowly.

"But-" Clarke starts but is cut off by the raise of Lexa's hand.

"The dead are gone, Clarke. The living are hungry." Lexa's gaze drifts to her son playing happily.

\--

Clarke went through the rest of the trip a little lighter, she even forgot about the scavenger hunt. She should feel guilty for being so happy over Lexa being a widow, but she just can't help herself. She feel so selfish.

At the end of the trip they all perused the gift shop, Clarke bought Aden a toy to replace the giraffe he'd given Madi. Clarke and Lexa said their goodbyes and Clarke strapped a sleeping Madi into her carseat.

The trip home was a quiet one.  _ Baby shark _ was replaced with Lofi Hiphop turned down low. When Clarke checked the back mirror Madi was still out cold. A long quiet car ride seems perfect to clear her thoughts so Clarke decides to take a trip down to the metroparks. 

Clarke takes in the changing color of the leaves and marks down a mental note to pick a costume for Madi's first Halloween. Soon the leaves will fall and that will give her all sorts of new firsts. Photoshoots, carving pumpkins, trick or treating, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Okay maybe that's moving a little too fast. She hears a notification on her phone so she pulls over to check the text.

She rolls her eyes upon seeing his number on the screen.

Finn 4:05 pm: hey

Clarke 4:06 pm: hi

Finn 4:06pm: Can I see madi again?

Clarke 4:07pm: when?

Finn 4:07pm: now?

Clarke barks a laugh, oh Finn, thinking everything revolves around him. 

Clarke 4:17 pm: first of all madi is sleeping. Second, how do you know I'm not busy?

Finn 4:17pm: sorry I guess i should plan things better

Clarke 4:20pm: you think?

She is being a little harsh but she can't help it, Finn just pulls out this emotion in her. 

Clarke 4:20pm I'm sorry, how about tomorrow?

Finn 4:21pm: that sounds gr8, wht time?

Clarke 4:22 pm: 1 pm? At the park by my house?

Finn 4:23pm: see you then

Finn 4:23pm: thank you

Clarke sighs, leaning back into her seat. Her eyes flick to the mirror noticing that Madi is awake just in that groggy quiet stage of waking up. Clarke heads home. 

\--

Madi was lulled back to sleep by the time Clarke made it home, she popped her into her crib, grabbed the baby monitor and decided to get some dinner started. She decides on spaghetti for tonight, she was just lucky enough to have the ground beef pulled out. 

As she's cooking the meat she hears a knock on the door. Curiously she goes to answer it. She remembers just as she's opening the door that it's their Saturday get together and she's greeted by her three best friends; Raven, Octavia, and Wells.

Raven opens her mouth and before she can utter a word, Clarke clamps her hand over her mouth. 

"If you wake up Madi so help me God," Clarke says in a harsh whisper. Raven nods her head and Clarke removes her hand.

The group of friends shuffle through the door, taking off their shoes and setting down their choice of drink. Octavia flops down on the couch, propping her feet up on the coffee table.

"Ughhhhh" she says, and Raven shushes her, "Did you just shush me?"

Raven jabs Octavia with her elbow and points to a glaring Clarke. Octavia mimes a zipped lip and Clarke turns back to her cooking. Wells fumbles around the kitchen, trying to help Clarke but ultimately she sends him away for getting in the way.

The delicious scent of Italian cuisine fills the room and by the time the food is plated the three are practically drooling. Clarke grabs some glasses for their Pinot Noir (Clarke has Grape Juice) and they're off, inhaling their food.

Raven is the first to finish. She unbuttons her pants and leans back in the chair, rubbing her food baby.

"When you got pregnant did it give you cooking superpowers?" Raven jokes. As Clarke was never really the best at cooking. But her spaghetti, damn was it good.

Clarke rolls her eyes and continues to poke at her food. Wells is the first to notice so he questions her about it.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asks.

Clarke sighs and sets down her fork.

"It's Lexa…" she trails off.

"That woman from daycare? You gotta let her go Clarke, she's married." Octavia says between shoveling food in her gob.

"That's the thing… she's not" says clarke, The room goes quiet as Clarke explains, "I found out today that she's a widow."

Raven rubs the space between her eyes before saying, "that's even worse.."

Clarke looks confused, "How's that worse? She's available.. I'm sorry that makes me sound so shallow" Clarke says with a grimace.

"1, yes it does. 2, she's still wearing her ring, she's clearly not over it yet. She's emotionally unavailable, you need to quit before you get hurt." Raven explains.

"Maybe you're right…" Clarke trails off, knowing full well that her heart had other plans.

"So what's this I hear you hanging out with Finn again?" Octavia blurts out.

Clarke hides her head in her palms, "Wells what the hell?"

"Sorry," he says slurping a noodle into his mouth.

"I'm not hanging out with Finn. He wants to see Madi, plus he gave me some child support. " Clarke explains.

"You don't think that's weird? He's been gone for almost a year, and now he comes back with child support? Didn't he sign away his parental rights?" Wells asks.

"People change," she says.

"Not like that, how much did he give you?" Octavia asks.

"A grand," Clarke mumbles.

"WHAT?!" Raven shouts, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth. The group listens carefully for any sounds of Madi waking. When none come they relax.

"What?!" Raven whispers, "where would that broke ass bitch get that kind of pocket money?"

Clarke shrugs, finally picking up her fork again, she points the object at each person before picking up some noodles. "None of you better say anything to him because I need that money. We're getting together tomorrow."

"Why?!" Raven shouts again, the room quiets when they hear the sound of Madi whining through the baby monitor. "Sorry," Raven says whispering now that it's too late.

"It's fine, I needed to wake her up anyway or she won't sleep through the night again."

They chatter on through the night. Clarke shares her spaghetti with Madi, who makes a fun little mess to clean up. They talk about work, relationships, and soon to be holidays. They eventually run out of things to talk about so they say their goodbyes and plan to see each other in a few weeks on Halloween.

\--

[thebenniebabyninja](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thebenniebabyninja)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you all think? I hope you liked it! If you want more head over to my tumblr, you can even send me prompts I'd be happy to fill!


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